World’s smallest PLB approved

ACR Electronics’ ResQLink , the world’s smallest 406 MHz Personal Locator Beacon (PLB), is FCC approved and is now for sale to consumers in the U.S. International approvals are expected to follow, according to company officials.

Manufactured by ACR Electronics, part of Cobham Commercial Systems, the ResQLink is small and light enough to hold in one hand yet powerful enough to guide rescuers to within 100 meters or less of the user’s position in a life-threatening emergency, company officials said.

With the additional 406Link.com subscription service, ResQLink can be tested through the Cospas ­ Sarsat satellite system, assuring owners their beacon is ready when needed, officials added.

With three levels of integrated signal technology — GPS positioning, a 406 MHz signal, and 121.5 MHz homing capability — the ResQLink , with its reusable antenna, relays critical emergency position to the Cospas-Sarsat International worldwide network of rescue satellites.

The waterproof ResQLink broadcasts a unique registered distress signal that not only tells rescuers where the sender is, but who they are. The onboard 66 channel GPS can quickly fix the sender’s position to within 100 meters and then utilizes a powerful 406 MHz signal to relay the distress call to orbiting satellites. As local Search and Rescue is deployed, a separate homing signal and integrated LED strobe light guide rescuers to the sender’s exact position, officials explained.